Marshmallow Flakes
by TheDustyScrub
Summary: Despite their losses, they must keep moving forward. (Edited one-shot)


**_Version 2 of Marshmallow Flakes. Made some adjustments, corrections and additions to improve it._**

Inspired by an image created by Perfectly-Pyrrha on Tumblr (Go check it out)

 _Dedicated to Monty Oum and the RWBY Fanbase:_

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They'd been on the road for quite some time. Probably around three weeks of travel and encounters with Grimm had finally led them to the home of Haven academy. Ruby, Nora, Jaune and Ren had left Ruby's home in Patch with packs full of sleeping kit and rations to last them the trip. Despite their best efforts to eat as little as possible in order to save their supplies, the constant moving and occasional battle with Grimm taxed the Huntsmen and Huntresses, forcing their hand to stay hydrated and well fed in order to fight back should the need arise.

It was difficult to get any rest either. The team tried avoiding stopping whenever they could to gain ground quickly before the trail of their enemy went cold. However, they could not operate with out any sleep and would take short sleeps with guard duty taken in shifts. The idea was to have an hour shift per guard, however Jaune would often avoid waking the others on his shift, diminishing his sleep even more much to the dismay of his teammates.

Jaune would argue that they needed more sleep than he did and that he was fine, but Ruby, Ren and Nora knew why he wouldn't sleep. He would dream of Pyrrha if he slept, so instead he used his guard duty to distract himself, choosing to focus on any movement or sounds in the night rather than his lost partner.

The team arrived in the Kingdom of Mistral tired and with empty stomachs, but they were alive.

"I'm starving…" Nora groaned the moment they arrived.

"Me too…" Jaune put a hand on his stomach. "Don't think we can keep going like this, Ruby."

"Well, there's gotta be some food around here." Ruby stated after removing her hood, looking around the unfamiliar city with a blank expression. "Maybe a restaurant?"

"Perhaps a grocery store?" Ren suggested. "It would be wise to restock on supplies before continuing our search."

"Good thinking, Ren." Ruby complimented. "Nora, Ren, do some looking around, find out a little bit more about where we are. Jaune and I will go find a store and stock up."

"Make sure to get some pancakes!" Nora insisted. She'd been mentioning them relentlessly for the past week. The rest of the team was pretty sure she was going crazy due to withdrawal, if she wasn't crazy already.

"We will." Jaune said with a light chuckle. Nora and Ren handed Ruby and Jaune some Lien to ensure they could afford the resources.

The team split and ventured deeper into the city. It was much different from Vale, or at least what Vale used to be like before the Vytal Festival. For starters, Atlas Military units were not patrolling the city streets at all times. The architecture was different as well, as were some articles of clothing the population donned.

Normally, Jaune and Ruby would both be interested in such a differing culture, however right now, they had a job to do. Even if the current objective of said mission was simply just to buy food.

Jaune was rather quiet as he looked around, his hands shoved into his pockets. Ruby walked at his side, thinking of anything to say to disrupt the awkward silence. She had noticed that Jaune was rarely his usual outspoken and confident self and was now more reserved. However, what he now lacked in social skill, he definitely made up for in combat, as he could often be found leading the charge and assisting Ruby in making tactical decisions against Grimm on the battlefield.

"Think we'll find pancakes?" Ruby asked, eliminating the silence.

Jaune snapped out of his trance and shifted his head to face Ruby while walking down the sidewalk. "Maybe." He shrugged. "I'd rather not have my legs broken by Nora, so we'd better."

Ruby snickered. "You know; I don't think pancakes are the best fuel for a legitimate mission." She said with a wave of her hand.

"At this point, I'll eat anything. What I wouldn't give to have another one of those noodle bowls we had at the fair grounds." Jaune reminisced the meal before team JNPR's first fight in the tournament. He could recall arriving with his team the moment Weiss' credit card was declined by the man in the kiosk. Pyrrha had offered to pay as a congratulations on team RWBY's victory. As a result, the eight of them enjoyed a bountiful meal before JNPR was called to the stadium.

Ruby nodded. "Don't remind me. You're making me even more hungry." She groaned shortly after envisioning the large noodle bowl.

"I'm not surprised. You ate the least."

While Jaune had been the one to deprive himself of sleep for the good of others, Ruby was the one who ate very little on the trip to Mistral. She would usually only have a quick bite before dozing off to sleep. Her justification was that she was smaller than the remainder, and didn't need to eat as much.

"Promise me you'll eat more once we stock up?" Jaune asked.

"Only if you sleep more." Ruby argued.

Jaune sighed. He really didn't want to. But if it was the only way to secure Ruby's health, he'd do it. He wasn't willing to put another team member at risk. Not after his failure at Beacon. Jaune let out another defeated sigh before nodding. "Alright."

As luck would have it, they spotted a grocery store to their left, nearly passing it as their focus was on their conversation.

The two hunters in training stepped in, taking in the busy market. The store wasn't massive, but it was big enough to house a plethora of choices. There had to be some pancakes and other good items they could pick up before heading out. Both Ruby and Jaune lifted a grocery basket from the front and took a brief look around.

"We can cover more ground if we split up." Ruby took out her scroll. The screen displayed all four members of the team, their respective aura levels, as well as the time. "Meet back here in twenty minutes."

"Got it, boss." Jaune said teasingly after referring to his own scroll for the time.

Ruby sighed. She disliked how often he used 'boss' when speaking with her. While it was true Ruby often took charge and led the team, she felt as if Jaune called her that just to diminish himself, to let himself himself know that he'd never take command of a team again. She pitied him.

She had made sure to check the frozen goods isle first. Ruby grinned when the sight of premade pancakes sat in one of the freezers. If she was being honest, she found it a little ridiculous trying to cook pancakes over a campfire with one of their two frying pans, but if it kept Nora satisfied, she'd buy them. She grabbed two boxes just to be safe and placed them into her basket.

Next, she made a personal trip. The sweets isle. And there they were. Beautiful, delicious, chocolate chip cookies. Ruby fought the urge to tear open the packaging right then and there to satisfy her unnatural hunger for the treats. She swiftly grabbed a package and stuffed it into the basket.

"Soon…" Ruby muttered, staring lovingly at the package.

In time, Ruby moved on to more practical items that would actually assist the team on their journey. Ruby had to think of items that were high in energy, lightweight, had long shelf life, easily packed and easily prepared. Cans of soup, rice, frozen meals and various types of energy bars quickly found their way into her basket. Not a lot of variety in the selection, Ruby noticed. She hoped Jaune was having better luck.

Jaune's basket had many similar items with the addition bottles of water, however he had also picked various fruits and vegetables. While on the road, they were impractical as they would rot easily, but he figured they could have a nice wholesome meal before getting back to work. Besides, Ren would appreciate the opportunity to prepare another 'delicious' drink full of nutrients. He had also selected various meats, cheeses and bread for sandwiches.

A grin was plastered on his face. The team would definitely be satisfied by the coming meal. He turned into the next isle and began to examine each product. He spotted multiple brands of cereal. Another item Nora would definitely appreciate. Jaune grabbed the first box he came close to, knowing Nora wasn't picky regarding her taste.

Jaune looked at the box. His grin faded and his heart sunk.

Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes.

On the box was Mistral's own Pyrrha Nikos. Beautiful as ever. Jaune's teammate, his partner, his friend, no, more than that. Beautiful as the day she had kissed him and sent him away in that locker. The day that she died.

Jaune felt the sting of pain as he gazed sadly at the box art. Pyrrha's emerald eyes stared back, piercing Jaune like a sword and her smile that would normally warm his heart, twisted the blade.

His body slacked. His left arm fell to his side, letting the basket fall and discard its contents across the isle floor. Tears welled in his eyes and he collapsed onto his knees. Jaune pulled the box into his chest and brought his other hand up to his face, trying to contain himself, but it was no use. The tears streamed down his face, soaking his glove as it muffled his sobs.

Jaune pulled the box away from his chest, taking another look at it.

"Pyrrha…"

His tears fell on the box.

Ruby had heard the basket fall and the familiar sound of Jaune's quiet sobs. She had become quite accustomed to the sound of anguish despite how hard Jaune tried to hide it.

"Jaune?!" She called out, hoping he would respond. He did not.

Ruby followed the sobs to an isle with discarded items strewn across the floor. She quickly made her way over and saw Jaune clutching a cereal box while hunched over on his knees. Ruby looked to her right, spotting a collection of cereal boxes on the shelf. Her expression changed from concern to that of sadness. The orange box in Jaune's grasp was the same as those on the shelf. Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes.

The face of her deceased friend she witnessed being murdered, Pyrrha, was plastered on every box. She stared for a moment. Ruby's gaze motioned back to Jaune. She crouched down next to him and wrapped her arms around him. She wanted to tell him that it would be okay, however Ruby wasn't quite sure of that herself.

Ruby reached into her pocket and pulled out her scroll, dialing Nora.

"Hi! You've reached _NOOORA_! Not here right now, leave a message after the 'boop'."

Ruby sighed. She heard the 'boop' and proceeded to leave a message.

"Nora, it's Ruby, call ba-"

"Hi!" Nora responded abruptly.

"…Uhh…What?" Ruby muttered, confused.

"Just messing with you!" Nora laughed, expecting a similar reaction on the other end. She was disappointed when no laughter or even a chuckle came.

"Can you and Ren come down to the grocery store? Quickly?"

"Sure!" Nora said, still energetic.

Knowing they would take some time getting there, even at top speed, Ruby rested her head on her grieving friend's shoulder trying to comfort him, though she knew only time would tell if Jaune would recover.

In time, Ruby could hear Nora's chanting from the front of the store. Footsteps grew closer and the positive rambles of Nora ceased. Ruby could hear Nora gasp. Ren and Nora rushed over and crouched down next to Jaune. Nora did the same as Ruby while Ren quickly picked up the dropped items before he placed a hand on his Jaune's shoulder.

"Come on, Jaune…" Ruby said, helping him to his feet. "Let's get the food and go…"

Jaune wiped his face and nodded, placing the cereal box neatly on the shelf where it belonged. His gaze lingered for a moment before he allowed himself to be pulled away by Nora and Ruby. Ren followed not far behind, holding both Jaune and Ruby's basket of groceries.

Jaune looked over his shoulder, trying to get one last look at his partner's smile.

Ren stepped into his field of view. "Don't look back, Jaune. _Keep moving forward_."

At the moment, nothing that was said could cheer Jaune up. He was still too hurt to even consider Ren's words. But in the end, Ren's words were right. As a team, they needed to _keep moving forward_ , watch each others backs, be there for each other in times of need and stop the people that caused all of this.

And together they'd get justice for those they lost. Countless civilians, students, Penny, Ozpin,

 _Pyrrha._

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 **Hope you enjoyed the updated version. I plan on writing a few more one-shots and perhaps a full length story, however I'm still brainstorming for a full length story so that may take a while.**

 **Thanks for reading.**


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